Jimmy John's: sandwiches don't really taste that great

On the evening of 5/30/07, Matt Dahl was interviewing the founder of Jimmy John’s, Jimmy John Liautaud. Matt was all flattery claiming he ate Jimmy John’s 2-3 times a day. Jim said sure, and then you quit for a month, and come back, no one can keep that up. Matt moved on to how quick they are and Jim responded that in consumer studies they found the “sandwiches don’t really taste that great” but they made them really fast. So that’s what we concentrate on and consistency.

I liked his no-nonsense attitude and honesty and wish him success. Podcast here.

-ramon

What amazing honesty on the part of Mr. Liautaud, and what surprising lack of preparation by the son of Steve (he didn't even know how to pronounce the guy's name, which made his subsequent sucking up even harder to take seriously). Of course, I'm sure JJ's PR boys soiled their britches when the founder admitted to his product's shortcomings, but his lack of BS actually made me more likely to eat at a JJ's (though I would do my best to avoid it).

David "It is what it is" Hammond

David Hammond wrote:...and what surprising lack of preparation by the son of Steve (he didn't even know how to pronounce the guy's name...

A lack of preparation sounds EXACTLY like Steve Dahl ...
FWIW a SD fan since 1979

The subs just arent that good- better than subway for sure, but it's just a ton of junk on a crappy roll with too much mayo usually.

HI,

I went a couple of times to the Jimmy John's in Highland Park. The first time, Helen and I were amazed how the sandwich tasted like nothing. We went a second time because we could not believe our first impression. Again the sandwich tasted like nothing. We laugh every time we see a new location because we don't understand what people see in it.

Regards,

My impression of Jimmy John's is that they are NOT consistent. The ones in Wisconsin (Milwaukee and Whitewater, WI) have been very good and tasty.

The ones I ave tried in Illinois (DeKalb and Crystal Lake, IL) have been pretty bad. However, the REAL issue (like Quizno's) is that they are very expensive. If a fast food joint is expensive, why bother?

I prefer going to a true deli for a good sandwich, but in a world crowded with Subway, Potbellys, Quiznos, & other really poor examples of sub sandwiches, I will eat a Jimmy Johns sandwich any day over the 3 places I mentioned above.

Sometimes time for lunch is limited, my favorite deli is too far away, and the need for an Italian style sub with capicola is desired by the tastebuds.

Not a great sandwich by any means, but 100 times better than Subway, Potbellys, and Quiznos of the world in my humble opinion.

Based on the interview that started this thread, the corporation recognizes that the stuff tastes like nothing (at best), and price doesn't seem a concern; it's speed, boys, nothing but speed that matters. Serve it fast, and folks will keep coming back. The model, as enunciated by the founder, is to create a place where drunken college kids can come for something to stuff in their tummies, quickly, in the precious moments before blacking out.

David Hammond wrote:Based on the interview that started this thread, the corporation recognizes that the stuff tastes like nothing (at best), and price doesn't seem a concern; it's speed, boys, nothing but speed that matters. Serve it fast, and folks will keep coming back. The model, as enunciated by the founder, is to create a place where drunken college kids can come for something to stuff in their tummies, quickly, in the precious moments before blacking out.

Hey...hey...hey...some of us aren't in college anymore.

jpschust wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Based on the interview that started this thread, the corporation recognizes that the stuff tastes like nothing (at best), and price doesn't seem a concern; it's speed, boys, nothing but speed that matters. Serve it fast, and folks will keep coming back. The model, as enunciated by the founder, is to create a place where drunken college kids can come for something to stuff in their tummies, quickly, in the precious moments before blacking out.

Hey...hey...hey...some of us aren't in college anymore.

The successful model can accomodate multiple types, but the genesis of JJs was on big university campuses because the founder saw an opportunity there. I ate my first JJ in 2001 (seems like just yesterday) not far from the Western Michigan campus, right next to a store specializing in kegs.

Yeah, Jimmy John's is pretty meh...but, I too, prefer them(I only order the Italian sub) to the other corporate guys.

I must admit the forced greetings by the workers; "HI!" when you walk in the door skeeve me out.

good customer service story:

A few months ago I popped in on my way home to pick up a "Vito." ...got stuck behind some shlub with a cell phone glued to his ear who couldn't make up his mind about anything on the menu...

*finally* got my sandwich(not because the workers were slow but because of the aforementioned asshat)...get home with it...it's just meat: no cheese, no lettuce, no tomato...etc.

so...I checked my receipt, called over expecting at best a shrug, maybe an apology, or a coupon...

actually, I was pissed off enough to consider walking back over(a 15 minute stroll)...

no need: the manager got on the line, apologized, and sent out the sandwich I actually ordered within 20 minutes...

I emailed the company with kudos for her.

Call me a weenie if you will, ( in a natural casing) but I prefer subway to jj. They're both crap, and I'm sure the subway meat is cheaper, but flavor-wise, especially with all the jive you can add at subway, there's no contest. Perhaps my opinion is based on the fact that I have only had subway once, and due to proximity of workplace at one time, jj about 12 times. A chalk-styrofoam combo would be more savory than anything on their menu.

stewed coot wrote:Call me a weenie if you will, ( in a natural casing) but I prefer subway to jj. They're both crap, and I'm sure the subway meat is cheaper, but flavor-wise, especially with all the jive you can add at subway, there's no contest. Perhaps my opinion is based on the fact that I have only had subway once, and due to proximity of workplace at one time, jj about 12 times. A chalk-styrofoam combo would be more savory than anything on their menu.

I'm no real fan of Subway(see above) but, as it's been mentioned previously, unique to the Chicago area is a pretty damn good giardinera: slather that all over a "spicy Italian" and we're in business.

And, actually, I had JJ's one too many times for lunch and just the thought of them over the past couple months makes me urpy.

I"ll come in and I say I actually like Jimmy John's. If the choice is JJ's, Subway, or Mr. Sub, there is no choice. Jimmy John's is the only one of the three I actually enjoy. I also used to work delivery there, so I basically did eat Jimmy John's every day for six months in college, and I never got sick of it. Of course, it did help being able to "roll your own." Vito all the way, for me.

Of course I'll take a good Bari sub any day, but when I get a craving for a fast food sub, it's a craving for Jimmy John's.

Yes, of the fast food sub places I definitely prefer Jimmy Johns. I used to get them at the one near Northwestern.

Wow, I'm really surprised by the overwhelming preference for JJ's. As Cathy said, their subs taste like nothing. I think I'd enjoy eating my pillow more than one of their sandwiches--at least the feathers would offer some texture contrast.

I'm no huge fan of Subway, but as someone pointed out, they at least offer some toppings beyond hard pink tomatoes and shredded iceberg. And Potbelly's, IMO, isn't all that bad. A roast beef with Italian seasoning and giardinara can be a fine thing.

GardenofEatin wrote:And Potbelly's, IMO, isn't all that bad. A roast beef with Italian seasoning and giardinara can be a fine thing.

Potbelly's is not even in the same class. They are a huge step up from bottom of the barrel sub shops like Subway, Quizno's and JJ's. They are in a middle tier between pure crap and handcrafted goodness ala Bari, Riviera, etc.

stewed coot wrote:Call me a weenie if you will, ( in a natural casing) but I prefer subway to jj. They're both crap, and I'm sure the subway meat is cheaper, but flavor-wise, especially with all the jive you can add at subway, there's no contest.

Yes, the only redeeming quality of Subway imho is that they have cucumbers and bell peppers. If I put enough of those on a sandwich with rubber turkey and air-based bread with a slap of mustard I can choke it down much better than Jimmy Johns or Potbellys.
Subway is certainly never a choice I'm enthused about but if it's the only non-fast food choice in a 1 mile radius I'll take my chances. And they have Baked Lays which I am ocassionally a fan of.

GardenofEatin wrote:Wow, I'm really surprised by the overwhelming preference for JJ's.

Me, too. I must believe that those who champion the taste of the JJ sandwich -- despite the company's founder's recognition that they probably don't taste that good -- are, indeed, eccentrics. This must explain why they post on this board...and gahd bless 'em.

Hammond

ANyone ever try Schlotzsky's™ before they folded?? How did they compare?

I really didnt see anyones post "championing" the greatness of JJ's subs. Some posters just chose JJ's as the defacto option over the other "fast food" chain options,(subway, potbellys, quiznos) when a real deli is not available.

Either way, different strokes...

I've only been to JJ twice so I don't know if it's just a coincidence or if it's consistently like what I experienced. Both times I ordered their veggie sandwich and both times, they tasted like a mayo sandwich with a sprinkling of veggies. They put so much damn mayo on it I could've OD'ed!

gp60004 wrote:ANyone ever try Schlotzsky's™ before they folded?? How did they compare?

Now...I'll offer an emphatic omg yes!

Why Schlotsky's folded(in Chicago) I have no idea. There was only that one in the Loop and it always appeared busy enough.

I love Schlotsky's(large original, please), grew up on them(Texas-based chain).

And, they still exist in other cities.

to answer your question: Schlotsky's is it's own thing

it's more a kind of muffaletta than a sub: crispy/puffy round bread, several cheeses, veg, olive spread(not quite a tapenade), decent meats

all melted together into one gooey confabulation

so...no contest: if I wasn't near a good mom n pop deli and had to pick between all the sub chains mentioned upthread: Schlotsky's all the way

Schlotzsky's is weirdly likable, as CG says, its own gooey fake-bread thing. I used to get them from the one in the Loop (Thompson Center), but no one else I worked with ever went near the place-- I think you have to come from somewhere that they're known (a few had spread into Kansas from Texas when I was in high school).

And I too can see a weak preference for Jimmy John's over Subway-- my one recent Subway experience was so dry it was like eating a mummy arm or something. Without the harissa and pickled radishes you'd get at a real mummy place, I suppose.

David Hammond wrote:The successful model can accomodate multiple types, but the genesis of JJs was on big university campuses because the founder saw an opportunity there. I ate my first JJ in 2001 (seems like just yesterday) not far from the Western Michigan campus, right next to a store specializing in kegs.

The first time I ever saw one was round about that time (maybe 2002) and also in a university town, namely, in Bloomington, Indiana. We had arrived late in town by car from Chicago for a conference and the only place we could find that was open and wasn't a bar was JJ's, with its claim of offering 'gourmet sandwiches'. It made a lasting impression: as C2 said, the sandwiches were tasteless and, as others have noted, expensive to boot. Never again.

As is the case with virtually all of the businesses in the fast food industry, marketing is the key, not much else. And while the owner's honesty may seem refreshing, I suspect it's just another marketing angle.

Antonius

Antonius wrote:As is the case with virtually all of the businesses in the fast food industry, marketing is the key, not much else. And while the owner's honesty may seem refreshing, I suspect it's just another marketing angle.

Maybe. I happened to be working at an agency yesterday and spotted some storyboards for a JJ commercial, so I inquired about them. The agency had pitched Jimmy John with some creative but it was clear that Mr. JJ basically wanted to use his own ideas -- he just needed somebody to execute them. I think this guy is one of those American originals who has a vision of what will work (kind of like Henry Ford, Steve Wozniak, etc) and just plows ahead. When he says his sandwiches don't taste good, I think we have to agree he knows what he's talking about.

Hammond

I liked Schlotzsky's when they were in the area, my favorite was the angus corned beef reuben. They had a nice tangy dressing and oddly good brown bread. There are still two in Peoria which we tried not long ago for a quick bite before seeing the MIL in assisted living, I still enjoyed it. Never tried JJ's though.

Didn't Jimmy John's start in Bloomington? Or was it Urbana-Champaign? (And when did they reverse those-- it was always Champaign-Urbana 15 years ago.)

Anyway, even when I was a college kid I knew that beloved by college kids was NOT a recommendation, as it meant filling up on alcohol-absorbing bread cheaply (see also Domino's). Many people will speak fondly of Joe's Donuts in Lawrence KS, for instance. Stay very far away.

not that it is of any great importance, but JJ's was first shop was in Charleston, IL., where EIU is located.

Between JJ, Subway and Quizno's - I choose Panera Bread for the same money 90% of the time. Every once in a while I'll eat at JJ (because they are the cheapest), even less frequently at Subway (no better/worse than JJ) or Quizno's (better than the other two, but more expensive). I rarely eat anything fast food except Panera Bread - and no I have no affiliation of any kind with any of them. Just my 2¢...